I Do Care
by TheWriterFormerlyKnownAsNixon
Summary: Gwen and Trent are out Christmas shopping and run into Cody... At first, Gwen avoids him. But then Cody gets into a horrible accident... Combine that with Trent leaving Gwen, and you quite a situation... Another CodyxGwen fic! Merry Christmas!
1. Prologue: The Shot

I just can't stop writing Gwen Cody stuff… Here we go again!

Disclaimer: I don't own TDI, or anything in the story.

---

Ahh… Christmas time at the mall… How I hated it.

"Oh cheer up, Gwen!" Trent said, his arms around me as we walked through the busy mall.

"No," I said, angry. "You know I hate going here during Christmas!"

"Uh… When did you tell me that…?" I sighed.

"Only about 40 times since the past week!" I yelled.

"Sorry, sorry…" I shook my head.

"It's fine… Might as well find something for my mom while I'm here…"

"That's the spirit!" I couldn't help but smile at his upbeat attitude… But I still was annoyed; the mall was filled with rude, noisy, obnoxious people… We passed by a video game store. I looked over at someone leaving it.

"…Oh… Crap…"

"What?" He looked over. "Woah! Look who it is!"

"Trent…" I said quietly. "Don't…"

"Cody!" He waved over to the boy I had pointed out. I slapped my forehead, groaning in annoyance. Cody… My little stalker was back; I hadn't seen him since Total Drama Island, and I was planning on keeping it that way. But now, he was walking over to us.

"Hey Trent!" He gulped a bit. "…Gwen…" I rolled my eyes. Trent looked at me sternly.

"…Hey…" I said forcefully.

"What have you been up to?" Trent, on the other hand, was ecstatic to see Cody.

"Not much… Videogames… Computer…" He said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hey, you wanna walk around with us?" My eyes widened when he asked. Before Cody could answer, I dragged Trent a few yards away.

"What are you doing!?" I whispered loudly. Trent glared a bit.

"The guy loved you… And he was the one that got us together, remember?" I sighed, recalling that day.

"Yeah…" I said, my arms crossed.

"The least we could do is let him hang around with us for a little…" He put a hand on my shoulder. "I know you don't like him that much, but…"

"Alright, alright…" I sighed. "Fine. But you owe me…" We walked back. Cody was still standing there, a confused look on his face.

"So, do you want to?"

"Uh… Yeah!" He nodded. I forced a small smile.

"Alright, let's go…!" I said as cheerfully as I could.

---

It was hell. Cody just went on and on about some video game... I found him walking a little too close next to me from time to time, too… I had to elbow him rather hard to get him to move away.

"So, I'm walking to the final point…" He continued telling yet another story about Team Fortress 2, some video game I'd never heard of. At this point, I wasn't listening… We were in the back of a Hot Topic; Trent was no doubt looking for something to buy me, as he was at the other end of the store. This left me with Cody… I sighed. "So…" He stopped telling his story. He leaned against the wall with one arm, grinning as he simply stared at me. I was looking through some shirts, feeling his nerdy eyes looking me up and down. I shut my eyes, taking a breath.

"Back. Off," I said. His grin dropped as he took a step back. I turned; I had had it. "Look, I don't like you. At all. I don't care about your little video game stories; I don't care about your little internet jokes… The only reason you're even with us right now is because Trent forced me to let you!" My voice rose. "I just don't care, okay? Why don't you just shut your mouth for one second and actually give me some space, you sick little pervert!" Trent looked over at us. I simply glared at Cody, who looked hurt. Suddenly, without warning, he ran straight out the store. Trent walked over to me, angry.

"What did you do...!?" He whispered loudly.

"I…" I felt my stomach tighten a bit; Cody's eyes were watering very slightly right before he ran…

"I can't leave you alone with the guy for even a minute and you make him run off crying…" He shook his head.

"I didn't mean to… I was just so annoyed with him, I…" He sighed.

"Look… I know he was a little strange, but that doesn't mean you have to do that…"

"I'm sorry, I…" I felt really bad now. He stopped me.

"…I guess I can't blame you… You were already in a bad mood… Let's just go home…" I opened my mouth to protest, but stopped. He had a point.

"Alright, let's…"

_**BANG**_

Gunfire.

Trent immediately grabbed hold of me, wanting to protect me.

"What was that!?" I screamed.

"It sounded like a gun…" The person behind the counter ducked behind it. I heard what sounded like a fight outside.

"Should we go see what it is…?" I asked.

"Wait here…" He said, moving up to the front of the store. Not listening, I followed.

---

The cops were already on the man, shackling him with handcuffs.

"Everyone, stay back!" One of them was saying to some people. Another was placing small handgun in a plastic bag. Trent walked closer.

"What's going on?" He asked one of the officers who was keeping people back.

"There's been a robbery… Or, an attempted robbery," He said. "Some guy tried to rob a video game store…" I had walked up, and heard this.

"Was anyone hurt…?"

"Well…" He sighed. "He had made it a hostage situation in there…" He began. "But none of them were hurt… But then a young man entered in… He seemed like he was in a trance…" My eyes widened a bit.

"What… Did he look like…?"

"Brown hair… Kinda short," I put a hand to my mouth, holding a gasp in. "We tried to tell him, but he was completely oblivious… He just kept moving. He looked like he was crying…" I saw somebody getting loaded onto a stretcher, but it was too far away to make out whom.

"He… Got shot…" He said. I began moving towards the stretcher to get a better view. "Ma'am… Stay back, please!" I didn't have to move very far before I screamed.

The person who got shot was Cody.

---

Alright, so the whole robbery thing wasn't too mapped out, but I don't really know how something like that works… Anywho, will Cody be alright? Find out next chapter!


	2. Making Things Right

Wow, 1 chapter and I already have 4 favs… Not bad… Now to get a little deeper into the story!

---

"How is he…?" I asked as the doctor came out.

"Well… Your friend is very lucky…" He began.

"Well, he's not really a frie…" I stopped when Trent put a hand on my shoulder. "…Go on…"

"Well, the bullet hit him in the spinal cord…" I gasped, both hands over my mouth. "Oh my God, is he okay?"

"That's what I was getting to… The bullet didn't do any long-term damage, but… He will be paralyzed from the waist down for a few weeks…" He finished. "Other than that, he's perfectly fine. He's just resting now. The boy is incredibly lucky… You can see him if you want," With that, he walked off to tend to other matters.

I hugged Trent as tears began falling.

"It…It's all my f-fault!" I sobbed, crying into his shirt. He held me.

"Don't kid yourself… You weren't the one who shot him,"

"B-but… I told him to leave… If I hadn't said those things to him… He wouldn't have gone in there like that… He wouldn't have…" I cried harder.

"Hey, hey… Remember what the doctor said? Cody's gonna be fine after a few weeks…" He said reassuringly.

"I have to go see him," I said suddenly, running into the room.

---

I sighed to myself, lying in the bed. This REALLY sucked… A couple weeks in a hospital. And during the Christmas season, no less… I groaned. Why did everything bad always happen to me?

The door opened, snapping me from my thoughts.

"…Hey Cody…" A soft, sad voice came. I turned my head.

"Gwen…!" I yelled in surprise.

"Hey…" She forced a very small smile."How're you doing…?"

"I've been better…" I too forced a smile. "I'm not hurt too bad… Just can't feel my legs…" Gwen's fake smile drop.

"I heard…" She sighed, sitting on the bed. "And I feel terrible… This is all my fault…"

"No it's not!" I exclaimed. "Unless you were the one who shot me…" I joked. She laughed lightly.

"Trent said the same thing…" She sighed. "But…" She looked away. "I still said those things to you…" I frowned a bit. "I mean, you would have never gone in there if I hadn't…"

"Just stop," I said finally. "It's not your fault, okay? If anything, it's mine for not leaving you alone," Gwen looked back at me.

"Don't go blaming yourself…" She sighed.

"Well don't blame YOURself," I said. "Besides, I'll be out of here in a few weeks, with the right treatment…" I tried to cheer her up.

"I know, but… I still feel like I should try to help…" Suddenly, we heard a few voices outside.

"What do you mean we don't have any interns left? We aren't going to just make the kid stay in bed for a few weeks!" The doctor from before exclaimed.

"Well, they're else is too busy helping other patients…" Another voice said. Wait, I was going to have to just sit here for a couple weeks?

Great…

I looked over at Gwen, but she was already getting up and leaving the room.

"Gwen, where are you…" But she shut the door before I could finish. I sighed, lying back down.

This was the worst Christmas ever…

---

"Um… Excuse me…?" I came out of the room.

"Ah, it's you…" The doctor sighed. "I assume you heard us in there?"

"Yeah…" I don't know if the next thing I said was out of stupidity, sympathy, or lov… No, it couldn't be that… Regardless, I said it.

"Could I volunteer?" I asked. Oh crap, did I just ask that…? The two stared at me.

"Uh… Well, I suppose…" The doctor said, a little surprised. "You don't mind working here during the holidays…?"

"Not at all," I said automatically. Damn it!

"Well… Yeah, that'd be great! Can you start tomorrow?"

"Well…" I started to get some rational thought back. "I'd have to make sure it's alright with my mom," I explained. The doctor nodded, handing me a quarter.

"Go call her on one of the pay phones over there," He instructed. I walked over to it; my mind was filled with dozens of different thoughts. What was I thinking? Why did I say that? Am I really gonna go through with this…? I hesitated to place the quarter in the slot. I couldn't really go through with this… I shut my eyes.

The image of Cody lying unconscious on the stretcher was all I could see.

I quickly pushed the coin in and began dialing. Regardless of what they said, I was the one who got Cody into this mess… The least I could do was help him while he recovered…

---

I peeked out of the bathroom door, looking around.

"Alright, the coast is clear…" I whispered.

"Do I have to go now?" The girl behind me asked. "Come on… We haven't seen each other in so long…" She rubbed my shoulders. I sighed.

"Sorry, Heather… But Gwen's gonna be wondering where I went soon,"

"Oh, why don't you just dump her already?"

"Because I don't… I don't want to hurt her…" I sighed. This was so wrong…

"Well, you better tell her soon… Otherwise I will, Trent," Heather said sharply. I sighed.

"Alright… But can't we wait until after the holidays…?"

"Hey, no better time for breakups like Christmas!" She said, kissing me before leaving. I sighed, leaning against the wall.

How do you tell someone that you're cheating on them?

---

:O P-p-p-plot twist! Sorry this chapter was short, but they'll start to get longer after this…


	3. Day 1

I'm gonna get another update in quickly.

---

I shut my eyes, trying to get to sleep. Gwen had left a few minutes ago, and I was still alone. Man… These next few weeks… My eyes opened when the door was opened again. I turned my head.

"Oh, hey…" I greeted.

"Me again," Gwen shut the door, sitting down on a chair next to my bed. We were both quiet for a minute.

"So… They're out of interns…" She began. I nodded.

"A few weeks doing nothing but staying in bed…" I sighed, grabbing my pillow and smothering myself in it. "This SUCKS!" I heard Gwen giggle lightly for a brief second.

"Well… Um…" She sighed. "I volunteered to help you out while you recovered…" I moved the pillow.

"…What?" For a second I thought she said SHE was going to be the one to…

"I'm… Going to be your nurse…" She blushed a bit upon saying this. I sighed.

"Gwen…" I looked up. "You… You don't have to do that…" I said reluctantly. As awesome as it would be, I didn't want Gwen spending her Christmas break helping me around the hospital…

"No," She said sternly. "I know you don't blame me for what happened, but I still feel responsible…"

"Gwen, I don't want you to do this because you think you have to," It pained me to push her away like this, but I felt I had to…

"Well…" she looked away, sighing. "I… Kinda wanted to anyways…" I looked at her like she had grown a second head.

"You're kidding, right?" I asked, laughing a bit. She looked at me seriously.

She wasn't joking.

"But… Why…? Not to be ungrateful, but I thought you hated me…"

"I never said that!" She yelled, a little offended.

"Well… You kind of implied it back at the mall…" I said nervously. She sighed, stopping herself from yelling more.

"I… Really didn't mean to say that stuff… I was just really stressed out, and you didn't exactly help…" I blushed, remembering how hyper I had been.

"Well… I hadn't seen you in awhile, and I still love you…" I stopped myself. She made a sad smile.

"Cody…"

"But… But let's not get into that," I said quickly. She nodded.

"So, I'll be back tomorrow… Sound good…?" She asked. I nodded.

"You sure you want to do this…? I'm sure they could find someone else…"

"No, really… I'm fine with it," She got up. "Now, I need to go find Trent... See you tomorrow…" With that said, she left. I sighed happily, lying down. It wasn't romantic in the slightest way… But Gwen really did care about me…

At least a little…

---

Trent stopped in front of my house.

"Well, here we are!" He opened the door for me, walking me to the door.

"So, pick me up tomorrow at about 8… Okay?" I asked.

"Sure thing!" He gave me peck on the lips. I thought I saw something in his eye as he did, but I couldn't quite place what it was… Deciding to ignore it, I simply said goodbye and walked into my home, shutting the door. Trent walked back to his car, and drove off.

---

I looked at the clock. It was nearly 9 AM… Gwen said she'd get here at 9… Maybe she decided not to come after all…

The door opened.

"Knock knock…" Gwen said, entering. I got up… Well, my upper body did, at least.

"Morning," I said, stretching.

"Well, I've got the whole day free, so I can be here for awhile…" She said, pulling a wheelchair in.

"What's that for?" I asked.

"You, of course!" She said, walking over.

"…I can't exactly get up and walk into it…

"I know," She said, walking over to the bed with it. She pulled the covers off me, and… Lifted me up.

"Wah!" I yelled, surprised at the sudden action. She placed me down in the chair, bending my legs so they wouldn't stick out; I had lost all control of them, but they could still move.

"Better?" She asked, smirking.

"Uh… Yeah…" I shook myself. "You know, I could've probably gotten myself in that eventually…"

"But that wouldn't be as funny," She remarked, laughing a bit. Gwen wasn't going to act like a normal nurse, I could tell… Just her plain, goth self…

Excellent.

"Now then, all jokes aside, did you eat anything yet?" She asked. I nodded. "Alright, good… Now, they said you had wanted help with something?"

"Oh yeah, that's right," I said, rolling over to a nearby desk. "My folks dropped my computer off yesterday… Could you help me get it set up?"

"You and your computer…" She sighed, but smiled. "Alright, but you're gonna have to WALK be through it,"

We both laughed a bit.

"No problem…" I said. "See that black cable…? No, that one… Yeah, plug it in there…" I began instructing her on how to set the high-tech computer up.

---

"Green plug in the blue hole, and... That should do it!" I exclaimed as she put the last plug in.

"Alright… You can go ahead and start that up," She said, sitting down. I pressed the power button.

Nothing happened.

"Crap…" I said.

"Something wrong?"

"I think something's loose down there…" I moved away from the desk. "Would you mind checking behind the desk to see if there's a loose plug?"

"Fine…" She grumbled a bit, but pushed the desk to the side a bit. She then bent over, fumbling through the wires. "Think there's something in the wrong plug… Urgh…" She pulled at it a few times; I smiled a bit watching her rear bounce with her as she did… I shook myself, trying to force my perverted thoughts from my head. "There we go," She finished, standing back up. "Try it now," I hit the button. The lights on the computer began to flash as the monitor turned on.

"There we go!" I said happily, getting my mouse ready.

"So, what're going to do…?"

"Eh, probably play a game," I answered. She shook her head, smiling.

"Should've guessed…"

"What? I'm not into sports," I said. Frankly, I was proud of what I was. "I'm a gamer and I'm proud of it!" I said, my hands on my hips as I grinned. She laughed a bit, and pulled up a chair. "What are you…?"

"Well, I may as well see why you love these games so much…" I placed a disk in. "Let me guess; Team Fortress 2?"

"How'd you guess?"

"You wouldn't shut up about it yesterday?" I couldn't help but blush.

"I thought you said you didn't care,"

"Well, I also said I didn't care about you…" She said, smiling warmly. "But that's not true, either…" I felt warmth come over my face as she said this. "But don't think that means I'm gonna be dating you," She said seriously. I grinned.

"Didn't think so… But hey, if you're happy, I'm happy," I said, turning my attention back to the computer. I put on my headset. "Now, get ready to be amazed…"

"Oh, I'm sure…" she rolled her eyes, saying this sarcastically. "It's going to be the greatest thing EVER…"

"Who knows…? Maybe you'll change your mind after watching…" I said, chuckling to myself.

---

Well, it's barely been the first day, and already Gwen seems to be developing a small liking to Cody… But what's really going on in HER head? And when will Trent break the news to her? Find out next time!


	4. Unsure Love

Would you look at that, another chapter!

---

You know, this wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be… Cody was a lot more different than I thought he was, really. Maybe the gunshot altered his brain too… But I found myself sighing inwardly as he began to set up his computer game… Oh boy…

"Come on, you might like it!" He said, grinning. I rolled my eyes.

"I've never played a video game I've liked…" And I was convinced this wasn't going to be any different.

---

I shut the door to the house, and locked it. Coast was clear. Nobody was home… Just me and Heather.

"You look tense…" She said, sitting me down.

"I just…" I sighed.

"Oh relax… Gwen doesn't know…" She said, rubbing my shoulders. "You really need to forget her… We both know you don't really love her," I rested a hand on my head.

"I know… But I still don't know how I'm gonna tell her…"

"Just tell her," She said, shaking her head. "I thought you said you didn't care about her anymore…"

"Well, I'm more worried about what she's gonna do to you, actually," I said, laughing.

"Oh, don't worry…" She whispered into my ear. "Let's just enjoy ourselves…" She pushed me over, climbing on top of me. "But you need to tell her soon… As sexy as it is to be playing around behind her back like this…" She leaned closer.

"I will… I'm tired of getting blue lipstick on me all the time, anyways," I said. "She's… A really bad kisser…"

"Oh…?" Heather smirked. "What about me…?"

"Well, I can't seem to remember… Can you help me?"

"Oh, don't worry... I know just the thing…" She said, her hand sliding up my shirt. "Here…" With that, she locked lips with me… And that was just the tip of the iceberg…

---

It had been a half hour since Cody started the game up, and, well…

"Pyro Pyro PYRO!!" I screamed, pointing at the screen while standing behind Cody's chair. He was quick to react.

"Soldier beats Pyro…" He muttered, chuckling.

"WHOO!" I cheered after he won the match. He took off his headset, laughing.

"What happened to not caring?" He asked.

"Uh…" I blushed, realizing how loud I had gotten.

"Told you you'd change your mind…" He said, grinning.

"I…" I started to laugh. "Alright, fine. You were right!" I threw my arms out, sitting down. "It's… A great game!" I said, still laughing.

"Why do you think I was talking about it so much yesterday?"

"Guess you had a good reason…"

"Hey, you wanna try?" He suddenly asked. My eyes widened a bit.

"What!?"

"Come on, I'll show you how to play…" He said, moving away from the keyboard and mouse.

"No, I really shouldn't…" He simply looked at me. "I… Oh, who am I kidding? Move!" I slid my chair in, and put the headset on.

"Alright, here's the controls…" He started the very long process of explaining the game to me. Hopefully he'd make it easy, unlike Chris… Ugh… That guy was such a little…

---

Miles away, in a large, high-security prison, someone sneezed.

---

"Crap crap crap CRAP!" Gwen yelled, standing up. "I SO SHOT HIM FIRST!!" I was trying muffle my laughter, but it was getting pretty tough… I'd never seen Gwen so emotional before… It was quite funny… And cute… Ah! Stop thinking about those kind of things!

"Gwen, calm down…" I said, laughing slightly. "It's just a game," She sighed.

"I know… But it's so frustrating… It looked so easy when you were playing!" Gwen, to say the least, was doing very poorly.

"I told you video games weren't mindless…" I said, laughing. "You'd be surprised how much they make you think; especially this one!" I nudged her a bit, grinning. She shook her head, smiling.

"But it's a lot of fun… I'll admit," she said, standing up and stretching. "How long was I on…?"

"About 2 hours," I said casually.

"Two hours!?" She seemed a bit embarrassed with herself.

"Hey… That's a minimum for me! You should be proud!" I said, laughing.

"Oh great, now I'm turning into a video game geek!"

"And what's wrong with that?" I asked, still smiling. "It's a good life, you know?" At this point we were both laughing, but calmed down after a minute or so. Gwen sighed.

"You know… I'll be honest; I was pretty skeptical about this at first…" She said.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Well, I figured you wouldn't be this… Fun…" She said, trying to find words. "I thought you'd act… Well…"

"Annoying?" I asked, smirking a bit.

"…Yeah…" She said, looking down a bit. "But anyways… I'm really having a lot of fun, honestly," She said, smiling warmly. "I know it's only been a few hours but… I can already tell this will be worth working through Christmas…" I smiled, touched by her words a bit.

"Well…" I said, blushing a bit. "Glad I could help…"

"Hey, you hungry?"

"Actually, now that you mention it…"

"Good, because I'm starving… Let's get some lunch," She suggested, getting up.

"Oh yeah, I wanted to ask… Why are you being so nice to me…?" She looked confused.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you weren't too nice to… Well, most of the people on the island… Certainly not me, that's for sure," I said a bit nervously. "I mean… You've been so… Open today…"

"Well…" She sighed. "I'm trying to be a little nicer… I mean, what I said yesterday… It made me realize how mean I had really been to you…" I frowned a bit.

"Hey… Don't worry about it. I know you didn't really mean it… But I really appreciate you acting like you are now…" I said, wheeling closer to her. "I mean, you know how much I love to see you happy…" You smiled.

"It's no trouble…" She replied. "But while we're down there… Would you mind if I talked to Trent on the phone…?" She asked, looking away.

"…Of course not!" I answered, a bit confused. "Why would I?"

"Well, I know you still like me…" She said quietly. "I wanted to make sure you'd be alright with it…"

"Gwen, I love you… I mean, really love you… But…" I sighed. "I don't care if you're with someone else… I know you love Trent, and I'm sure he loves you… I just want to make sure you don't get hurt, is all…" I said. I felt a pinch of jealousy, but I ignored it. She smiled warmly.

"Thanks… That really means a lot…" She bent down to eye level, looking around. "And Cody… I just want to tell you something…" I felt my face grow hot from her being so close.

"W-what…?"

"If I wasn't with Trent right now…" She sighed. "I would… I would honestly give you a chance right now…" She said.

Then she kissed me on the mouth, ever so gently…

I nearly fell out of my chair.

"W-Wh…Wha…" I stammered, my face boiling hot. "What was that for!?"

"Just… An early Christmas gift…" She frowned, looking at me. "But it was just a friendly kiss, GOT IT?"

I simply nodded, a goofy smile on my face. She rolled her eyes.

"I knew that was a bad idea…" She sighed, rolling me out of the room.

---

…What… What did I just do…!?

Did… Did I just kiss Cody…?

Well… I said it was just a friendly gesture… Yeah, that's it! It was a thank you for getting me with Trent and being so nice… I guess I at least owed him that… Besides, I loved Trent…

…Didn't I…?

---

Well things are getting very interesting indeed…


	5. Caught Red Handed

With Christmas coming up, the updates may slow for a bit. Hopefully not though, since I won't be terribly busy.

---

The phone rang, causing my eyes to open. Heather sat up.

"For the love of…" She groaned, getting off me and grabbing the phone.

"It's for you," she said, smirking. I looked at the ID, and groaned.

"Why now…? Why can't she leave me alone…?" I sighed.

"Your fault for asking her out…" I answered it, and tried to sound cheerful.

"Hey Gwen! How's the hospital thing going…?" I rolled my eyes at Heather, not really listening to what she had to say. "Uh huh…. That's great, Gwen!" I said once she finished yapping. "Hey, I'd like to talk more, but I'm a little busy right now… I'll call you later," I said, hanging up. "God…"

"You really just need to break up with her…" Heather said, her arms crossed. "I'm tired of having her call while we're doing things together…"

"I know…" I sighed. "I need a chance to talk to her alone… I promise I'll do it when I pick her up tonight,"

"You better… I'm getting tired of waiting…" She pouted.

"Why do you have to be so cute…?" I said, kissing her. "Look, I'll get it done… I promise… But hey, let's go for a walk!"

"Oh! That sounds fun!" We headed for the door.

---

I sighed, setting the two trays down on the table. Cody quickly grabbed his tray, saying nothing; we'd both been quiet since leaving the room… And thoughts were running through my mind like a bee swarm; why had I done that? Why? I was in a relationship, and I kissed someone else… Did that mean I… I cheated on Trent…? I threw my hands over my face. I was a cheater now…

"Gwen…?" Cody said quietly. I looked up. "Look… Don't go crazy over what just happened…" He began. "It's no big deal…"

"Yeah… yeah it is…" I said, sighing. "I mean, I'm going out with Trent and I…" I shook my head.

"Look, we both know you did it out of kindness, not flat-out love…" He said. "I mean, Trent kissed Heather, and it's not like he was cheating on you,"

"But that was before we were going out…"

"Yeah, but you might as well been considered a couple at that point…" He laughed a bit. "The point is, let's just forget about what happened... And if you really want to tell Trent, go ahead. If he's still the guy I think he is, he'll understand… I mean, it's not like he's done anything behind YOUR back…"

"…I guess you're right…" I said, sighing again. "But… What if he doesn't take it well…?"

"Well, if he's really that distrusting, I don't think he really cares about you…" He said, a bit nervous. I thought for a moment, but nodded.

"I…"

"Look, let's think about something a little lighter… I mean, I've still plenty of Team Fortress stories if you want to hear them!" I smiled.

"That sounds fun…" I was looking forward to hearing some of these humorous stories now that I understood the game.

"Alright, so there was one time a last week…" He began.

---

I walked with Trent along the white, cold sidewalk, his hand in mine. We were near the hospital freaky goth and her little geek friend were at…

"Maybe you should go tell her now," I suggested.

"Look, I'll do it tonight, I swear," Trent sighed. "Alright…?"

We passed an alley.

"Wait…" I stopped him. "Can we make a stop here for a second…?" I asked.

"In a dark alley?" He asked, looking amused. "Why…?" I moved in front of him, smirking.

"Oh… You know…" I ran a finger up in chest. "I'm a bit cold… We could warm up back there…" He grinned.

"Why didn't we just stay home then?"

"Because I wanted some fresh air…" I said innocently. "But I want to some of YOUR air right now…"

"Alright… But let's not stay too long… I can feel Gwen's ugliness from here…"

"Finally realized how hideous she really is, eh…?" I grinned, happy he was finally understanding that he was too good for her.

"Don't see why I didn't see it earlier…" He shrugged. "Now come on…" He pulled me into the alley.

---

We were finally done with lunch. I got up, getting both my tray and Cody's and walking over to the garbage can. I dumped the contents in, and set the trays on the stand above the trash bins.

"Excuse me, miss?" I man I did not know came up to me with a trash bag.

"What…?"

"I heard you're volunteering here,"

"Yeah, I am," I answered.

"Look, I don't mean to bother, but would you mind quickly taking this out to the dumpster?" He asked.

"Why can't you?" I asked, a bit annoyed he was asking me to do this.

"I have to get back to work… It's right outside to the left of the hospital, down at the end of the first alley," He said. I sighed. He took out a dollar bill. "Please…?"

"Deal," I said, smiling inwardly. I took the bag – and the dollar – from him. Cody wheeled himself over to me. "Hey, I need to go take this outside," I informed him, pocketing the dollar.

"Ah, I see…" He nodded. "I'll head back to the room. I'll meet you there," With that said, he turned around and began heading back to the room he was staying in. I headed outside to take care of the garbage.

---

I rounded the corner seeing the alley a couple yards ahead. I moved closer, before I heard voices coming from the alley.

"Look, I keep telling you I'll do it tonight!" Was… Was that Trent's voice…?

"You keep saying you'll do it, but never have!" My eyes widened a bit. Was that…?

"Look, Heather…" My jaw opened a bit.

"Oh, just do it!" There was silence for a moment.

I peered around the corner, and screamed. Trent turned.

"Gwen…!" He stood back, shocked. "I…"

I didn't care.

I dropped the bag where it was, and bolted inside, trying to hide the flood of tears that was about to fall.

Trent… Trent was making out with Heather!

---

Bit of a cliffy… Sorry this chapter was a little short, but I wanted to move the conflict along a little bit. I would make it longer, but like I said, it's sort of a cliffy…


	6. A Lifted Veil

With Christmas tomorrow, this may be my last update for a couple days. But once the holidays are over I'll try to get back up to speed. For now, enjoy!

---

I sat in my room, waiting patiently for Gwen. The room wasn't very far from the cafeteria was, so I expected her back quickly.

I did NOT, however, expect her back quickly and crying oceans.

She stormed in, slamming the door, and flung herself onto my bed. She was sobbing more loudly than I'd ever heard anyone sob before. I moved over to her, both worried and a little scared; I had no idea how she would react.

"……Gwen…?"

She flung buried herself into me, crying even harder. "Gwen… What happened…?" I asked, not exactly certain how to deal with the situation. For quite a while, she said nothing. She simply continued to cry, occasionally trying to speak, but ultimately failing. It wasn't long before I realized she was in no mood to explain what had happened… I sighed, moving my arms around her gently. I pulled her a little closer, doing everything I could to help. "Don't cry, Gwen…" I know it sounded weak, but it was the best I could come up with. I've never seen anyone this distressed since, well… Ever! I decided to try again. "Gwen… Take a deep breath…" I urged, hoping she would respond with something. Her sobbing began to quiet. I smiled a bit as I heard her inhale. "There you go…" I encouraged her. "Come on, you can do this…" She moved her face away from me, her face stained with tear residue. She was still trembling slightly. "Do you want to tell me what happened…?" I asked quietly. She took another breath.

"Well…" She began. "I went to take that trash out… And when I got near the alley, I heard voices… I heard Trent first…" My eyes widened slightly. I was already beginning to form a picture. "Then… Then… I heard…" She nearly choked on the name. "…Heather…"

Oh God no…

"Well… I looked around the corner…" More tears began to form. "They… They were k…Ki…Ki…" She couldn't say it. She broke down again, but I understood.

"I'm so sorry…" I choked out. I myself couldn't believe it… Did Trent really…?

There was a knock at the door.

Gwen and I looked over.

"I'll get it," I said, setting her down as I wheeled over to the door. I opened it.

My eyes narrowed a bit.

"Hey, Cody…" Trent greeted quietly. My expression didn't change. "Gwen here?"

"Yep,"

"Can I speak…"

"Nope," I interrupted. He sighed.

"Please, I need to talk to her…"

"I know, Trent, I know…" I said, chuckling a bit. "So…" My smiled dropped. "How long?"

"What?"

"How long have you been with…" I looked over his shoulder. "…That?" I asked pointing at Heather. I saw her glare.

"Look, I was going to let Gwen down easy, I swear, I…"

"How. Long?"

"…3… 3 weeks…"

"Three weeks," I repeated slowly. "And… You were planning on telling Gwen you were cheating on her… When, exactly?" I remained as calm as I could. Trent was silent. "You know, I shouldn't be blaming you for all of this… After all, it was MY fault for telling you that Gwen liked you…" I said, laughing very slightly. "I thought you'd be the right guy for her… I thought you would protect her… And I was CERTAIN you would never go this far…" My arms dropped. "I can't believe how overly trusting I was back then…" I said, chuckling a bit more.

"Look, I'm really sorry Gwen had to find out this way…"

"You're really good at this lying thing, you know?" I grinned. "Because I can tell you really aren't sorry," He glared.

"I AM sorry! I mean, I didn't want to hurt Gwen… She's… She's so… I mean, she's really…" He thought. I raised my eyebrows, holding my hands out towards him as if to urge him on.

"…Honestly…? You can't even think of one compliment…?" I shook my head. "Pathetic…" but I grinned again. "Hey, I've got some advice about relationships for you… Come here," I signaled with a finger. She stood his ground.

"Look, I don't think you have anything useful…"

"Oh, trust me… You REALLY want to hear this…" He rolled his eyes.

"Fine…" He crouched down, so he was right in front of my face.

"Alright, the thing about girls is…"

_**BAM**_

Even Gwen stood up, eyes wide after my fist connected with Trent's face, sending him staggering back into the wall.

"You don't go out with them if you don't like them… Otherwise, you just end up hurting them," Trent stood, clutching at his nose, trying to stop the blood from flowing. "Now then… Why don't you leave…?" I turned around, but stopped. "Oh… And, as long as you're here, you might want to get that parasite behind you checked out… Looks lethal…"

I shut the door as Heather began yelling obscenities.

---

…Did… Did Cody just really do that…?

He sighed after shutting the door, rolling back over to his computer.

"…Cody…" Seeing him punch Trent like that knocked me out of my depressed mood… I was a bit worried; Cody looked calm as ever.

"Hm?" He turned, looking perfectly normal.

"Are you… Alright?"

"Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be? I mean, I have nothing to be mad about, right? Nothing at all!" He said quickly, his voice rising a bit. I sighed.

"Cody, it's alright to be mad…" I shook my head. "It's not your fault or anything…?" He took a breath, shutting his eyes.

"I just… Never want to see you cry like that again…" His hand balled into a trembling fist. "I swear, if I wasn't in this chair, Trent wouldn't have just left with a bloody nose…"

"That's enough," I said firmly, walking over to him. I crouched down. "Look, I know he hurt me… But that doesn't mean you have to do that to him…"

"I…" He sighed, his emotions finally showing.

"But… I really appreciate you defending me like that…" I found myself saying.

"Well…" He smiled slightly.

"And nice parasite comment, by the way…"

We both laughed. I stopped first, still smiling.

"You know… I kind of have a confession…" I said.

"Hm?" He looked confused.

"Well, to be honest, I..." I sighed. "I don't feel so bad about Trent anymore… I don't know why, but…" I shook my head. "Maybe… Maybe I didn't really love him…" Cody looked a bit surprised.

"But just a minute ago, you were crying like someone had died…"

"Yeah, but…" I looked away. "Now… Now I feel fine…" I looked at him. "You remember… A few hours ago…?" I asked, blushing a bit. His eyes widened.

"How could I forget…?" He asked, his face flushing of color.

"I didn't say this, because I was so confused already, but…" I hesitated, trying to think of the right words. "That kiss… I said it was a friendly gift, but… I'm starting to doubt that…" His face flushed even more.

"It…" I shut my eyes. "It felt… Right…" Cody looked away.

"R-really…?" He asked, avoiding my gaze. I nodded.

"You know, Trent leaving me like that… Has sort of lifted something from my eyes…" I was no longer in control of my actions at this point; something inside me had triggered itself. "Can I test something…?"

"Uh… Sure, I… Mph!" I silenced him with another kiss. Only this was no little friendly peck; I held him for a moment, pressing lips firmly against his for a few seconds. Before anything else could happen, I quickly parted.

"…Yeah… That felt right…"

---

Gwen sure can spring back up quick… And what's going on in Cody's mind now? Find out next chapter!


	7. Good News

Must… Resist urge… To play Fallout… Long enough to write…

Ho ho ho and all that jazz, Killingyouguy2.0 is back for another exciting installment! Sorry about the huge delay, but I convinced Mr. Scrooge to let me have Christmas off. I've just been a little busy, but now I have time to crank out more chapters!

---

It had been 4 days since Gwen started working here… and my lord, what a 4 days it was…

After I, ahem, showed Trent the door, and Gwen… Well, you know… She fell for me in a flash. Can't say I blame her… Nah, I'm kidding. Truth is, I was still shocked she agreed to be my girlfriend…

Yeah, you heard me.

Gwen and I were a couple now… I felt like the happiest person alive when she agreed… Getting shot in the spine has its perks, apparently. If I had known that would win Gwen, I would've done it a long time ago!

I kid, I kid…

Sadly, Gwen said she'd be a little late today… Christmas shopping and decorating, no doubt. She didn't say when, exactly, she'd be here… So here I was, playing Fallout 3 on my computer. I had yet to show Gwen this one; she was addicted to TF2, I swear to God… It was kinda funny, honestly. I had just finished eating lunch. It was 2 PM, and to my dismay, Gwen hadn't arrived yet…

…Maybe she was cheating on me…?

I mentally slapped myself. HARD.

Don't you EVER think that about Gwen, Cody! Good lord… I stopped my game, horrified by my sudden thought. Gwen… Gwen would never do that… Trent was an ass, but she's not like that… I know it…

The thought left me when I felt something wrap around me, startling me a bit. I relaxed when I turned and saw it was Gwen standing behind me.

"Oh, you made it!" I smiled, happy she managed to get here.

"I know… I'm so sorry I was late… My mom insisted on me going Christmas shopping," She said, sighing. "And my mom is very stubborn,"

"I can imagine…" I said. She smiled.

"But the good news is that I'm all done with it…. So unless something else comes up, I'll be here on time from now on," She kissed me gently on the cheek. "So how's my little Cody Bear been managing without me…?"

I froze, turning around with a very confused look.

"What… What did you just call me!?" She giggled a bit.

"Just a little nickname I made for you…" My face was red. "I think it suits you… A cute name for a cute guy…" I fidgeted a bit, embarrassed. "What do you think?"

"Promise you'll never call me that in public," I said, laughing a bit.

"…Fine…" I shook my head.

"You know… I've never seen you act so… I don't know, cute…" I said. She moved around from behind, sitting on my lap.

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently. I rolled my eyes, still grinning.

"Well, you were never this cheerful on the island, you know?" She looked away a bit.

"I know…" She sighed. "But that was mostly because of all the annoying people there… I didn't hate them, or at least most of them, but they were just…" She leaned against me, sighing again.

"Yeah, I know what you mean… I couldn't imagine dealing with Owen that long,"

"Well, at least he was a nice guy," She shrugged. "Better him than Heather, that's what I always say,"

"I still think you should've won…" I sighed.

"Hey, it's no big deal…" She smiled warmly. "I don't really care anymore… Besides, if I had won, we wouldn't be here with each other, now would we…?" I grinned wider.

"True…"

"And I'd much rather have you over 100 grand,"

"The Codster's worth AT LEAST a billion!" I put my hands on my hips proudly. She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah yeah… Cody Bear…" My arms fell quickly, causing her to laugh more.

"…Alright, it's a cute name," I admitted, laughing along with her.

The door opened, causing us to stop and look over.

"Pardon me Mr. Cody?" It was the doctor that was helping me with my physical therapy for a few days. Oh right… I forgot to mention that, didn't I? Well, you see, to speed my recovery, I was taking physical therapy for my leg problems. It seemed to be helping, and they were most likely getting back to us on the condition my spine was in.

"Hey, doctor," I said, Gwen moving off of my lap. "Is there something going on…?"

"Uh… Well, yeah," He said reluctantly. Gwen looked a little worried.

"Is something wrong…?"

"Uh… No, not at all!" He said, a look of surprise on his face. "I actually have very good news," Gwen's look turned to one of relief, as did mine.

"Oh thank God…" Gwen rested a hand on her chest, sighing. "What's going on?"

"Well…" The doctor looked at his papers. "I don't know how else to put this… But Cody's recovering at an inhuman rate…" He shook his head, still in disbelief. "If our tests and predictions are accurate, well… He… He'll be able to walk by tomorrow…"

There was a bit of silence.

"…R-really…!?" Gwen finally spoke, a huge smile on her face.

"Well, if he continues to recover at the rate he is now…" The doctor explained.

"But… It hasn't even been a week…"

"We know. It usually takes at least 2 or 3 weeks to recover to the point he has…"

"Then why am I healing that fast?" I asked, astonished.

"Well…" The doctor sighed. "We… Don't really know… He has no type of special condition or anything…" He shook his head. "I'm not usually superstitious or religious, but… My best guess would be, well… A Christmas Miracle," He shrugged. "You'll still need to come down to therapy today, but I just thought I'd let you know," With this shocking news, he left us alone.

Gwen hugged me as tight as she possibly could… Which was pretty tight…

"Oh my God, Cody!" She exclaimed happily. "Did you hear that? You're going to be out of here by tomorrow!"

"Can't… Breathe…" She released me.

"Sorry…" She blushed.

"No… It's fine," I took a few breathes. "But anyways… He said I'd be walking, not that I'd be leaving…" I began to explain.

"What do you mean…?"

"Well, I may only be able to walk for a little bit at a time… Or maybe I'll need crutches. But trust me, I've been here a lot, and I know how things work,"

"What do you mean by 'been here a lot'?"

"Well… You could probably tell when we were on that show, but… I tend to get hurt a lot," She nodded, recalling some of my accidents. "So I've had to come here quite a bit… But the good news is that my parents have a lot of insurance since I'm so prone to injury," I said, laughing a bit.

"But maybe they'll let us, you know, go out..." She smiled. I nodded.

"True… If we can, I'll take you on the greatest date you'll ever have…" She rolled her eyes, still smiling.

"I'll be the judge of that,"

"Whatever you say," She sat back down on me.

"The only problem is we won't be able to sit together like this…" Gwen said, leaning her head against my chest.

"What makes you say that…?" I asked, stroking her beautiful hair. "We could still sit in any old chair and do this… Or lie on a bed…"

"Yeah, I'm sure you only want to cuddle in a bed…" She said, sounding a little annoyed. My eyes widened.

"G-Gwen… Please… I would never want to do th-that… I mean, we're 16!" I was a shocked she would think that.

"I'm only kidding," She laughed softly. "I know you're not that kind of guy, Cody… You actually care about me and what I think, unlike SOME PEOPLE…" I saw her teeth grit.

"Easy, Gwen…" I knew even though she was a lot more cheery, she still had a temper. "He can't hurt you anymore… Don't think about him…" I didn't want an angry Gwen on my hands, especially since I couldn't run. She sighed.

"I know…" She sighed. "Besides, I have you now… And I know you'll never hurt me…" She nuzzled me a bit. I shut my eyes, putting an arm around her and pulling her closer.

"You're right… I'll never hurt you Gwen…" Something was telling me to add "I love you" to the end of that, but I resisted. I hear saying that at the wrong time can really hurt a relationship. Besides, Gwen knew how much I loved her. So I simply stayed close, cuddling her as much as I could.

And frankly, I don't care what the doctors say. If I can walk tomorrow, Gwen's getting the best date she'll ever have in her life.

---

Sorry if this chapter seems a little poor. I took a break, so I need to get used to typing again. But I'll try to update quickly, and don't worry, I'll throw in some flashbacks to show Gwen finally agreeing to be Cody's. Until next time!


	8. Walking

NIXON'S BAAAAAAAAAAAACK!! For another exciting update. I know, I changed my name between chapters… But at least you still know who I am.

Disclaimer: Since I haven't made one in awhile, no, I don't own anything.

---

I had to keep myself from squealing with delight once the doctor gave us the good news. Cody was going to be walking… By tomorrow!? I could hardly contain myself, but I managed to stay as calm as possible.

And to think, it hadn't even been a week…

**NIXON COMMANDS TIME, ENTER FLASHBACK!!**

Cody fainted. No, seriously, he fainted. After my much more loving kiss, I guess he just was overwhelmed…

I sighed happily.

To be honest, I wasn't too sure what I was thinking right now; too much was going on in my head. From Trent and Heather kissing to Cody defending me like that…

It had taken up until now for me to understand just how much Cody cared for me. And I… I was… Touched, for lack of a better word.

I had come to a realization at this point, something I should have seen a long time ago. I found myself recalling past events on the island now… I remember first meeting Cody, when he ended up following me into the girl's cabin. And how I immediately threw him out…

Maybe… I should've at least talked for a little…?

I sighed, a hint of guilt in the back of my head. I remember the creek challenge… How eager Cody had been to be my partner. A small smile crept onto my face as I remembered him trying to pull the canoe into the water… I had been under a lot of stress from the others at that point, and was all annoying to me… But looking back, if I had been in that situation now, I would've found it… Cute… And of course, then there was him asking me out on the canoe… And how I shot him down like a crippled duck…

I felt my chest tighten slightly from guilt.

He even offered to, as he said, put in a good word for me for Trent… Of course, he wanted something in return, but he gave it right back… But I remembered what he said clearly… "You know, I would've done what I did even if you didn't give me this," were his words. My reaction was rolling my eyes, thinking he was just trying to get me to let him keep it… But now I realized he really meant that.

And finally, after all that, there was his final day on the island. And how Cody got… I shut my eyes, not wanting to remember it. But I couldn't forget seeing him in that cast and chair… And how we ended up getting rid of him just because he would be useless in the next challenge…

I felt some moisture form in my eyes.

Cody had done so much for others… Especially me. The least I could've done was even hug him… But no. I was too blinded by Trent to even notice him…

But that was over.

I waited for Cody to wake up, because I had some news for him…

**NIXON COMMANDS TIME ONCE AGAIN, EXIT FLASHBACK!!**

And so that's how it began… Now here we were, cuddling in a wheelchair… Ok, not the most romantic place, but still…

And tomorrow would be even better…

---

The sun hitting my eyes woke me up from my sleep. I leaned up, yawned, and looked over at my clock. 7:00… Still had awhile before Gwen would get here… I sighed, throwing my legs out… Of… Bed…

I stood.

My eyes widened. I moved my legs around a bit. I laughed a bit, grinning widely. My legs WERE working! I cheered, skipping around my room a bit. The doctor had said this would happen, but I didn't expect it to happen so fast…

I couldn't wait to surprise Gwen!

---

Cody's door was wide open when I arrived, much to my surprise. I peeked in, seeing a lump under Cody's covers. I grinned evilly, and quietly entered the room. I always wanted to see what happened when Cody got scared… I slowly crept up to his bed, trying to hold in a few giggles. I slowly reached for the blankets…

"BOO!!" I screamed as something jabbed into my sides quickly while shouting. I fell onto the bed, turning around.

"Cody…! I was gonna scare you…!" I whined. That's when I realized Cody wasn't in his wheelchair. My eyes widened a bit. "Oh my… Cody, you're…"

"Walking?" He finished, helping me on my feet. "I know!" He grinned, showing that cute little gap in his teeth.

"I didn't think it'd be THIS fast…" I admitted, still surprised.

"Well… Remember what the doctor said? I guess he meant by tomorrow morning when he said it," He shrugged. "The point is, I'm walking again and I… Oof!" I cut him off by tackling him onto the bed in a hug.

"That's for scaring me," I said, putting a finger on his nose. He squired under me, both of us laughing.

"Hey, you were going to scare me," He pointed out.

"No… I was just going to wake you up is all!" I said innocently.

"Sure…" He said. "That's why you had that evil little smirk… Speaking of which, I must say that makes you look pretty hot…"

"Oh…?" I make the same grin I did earlier, causing him to smile even wider.

"Oh yeah… That's the one…" I rolled my eyes.

"I don't see how that makes me look better to you…" I shook my head.

"What, I can't like an evil girl?" He asked, still grinning. I slapped my forehead, but laughed.

"I guess I understand… After all, I do find that little gap in your teeth pretty cute…"

"Now why would you think that?" He asked, now confused. "Most people prefer to make fun of it…"

"Well, I don't know… I just do…" I admitted.

"Eh, I'll take that as a good answer," I giggled.

"You're such a gentleman…" I joked, kissing him.

"AND a better kisser," He said after I did. I sat up, still on him.

"Oh, you really think so?" I asked, hands on my hips. His cocky grin returned.

"I know so," My eyes narrowed.

"Prove it,"

---

Now let's leave these two alone… Sorry to cut this one short, but I'm having some idea problems right now… I have a lot of other story ideas, and I want to figure out what I'm going to write nexr.


	9. Date Part 1

Sorry about the slight delay, but I'm working on two stories at once now.

---

"Well Cody, according to our tests, your spine hasn't COMPLETELY recovered yet…"

Cody's doctor filed through some papers. "However, it is pretty strong; I suppose it wouldn't do any harm for you to go out in the town…" Cody had decided to let the doctor know about his recovery right after our little "contest" (Which Cody had won... My God, he WAS a good kisser…). In addition, he wanted to make sure his walking ability was stable enough to go out tonight. Based on what the doctor just said, it seemed like he was. Once that was all done, we headed back into his room.

---

"Come on, let me see!" I pleaded.

"No… It looks silly!" Cody's voice came from the locked bathroom door. I rolled my eyes, smiling as I clipped on my other earring.

"Come on, you're gonna have to come out soon if you want to wear it on our date…" I said.

"…Fine…" The door opened, and I burst out laughing.

Cody was wearing what appeared to be a black pinstripe suit and fedora hat.

He turned a deep shade of red.

"I told you…" I quieted down after a moment, standing up.

"Cody Cody Cody…" I shook my head, smiling. "What the hell are you wearing?"

"Uh… A suit my parents bought me…" He said, looking redder than a tomato at this point. I walked over to him.

"Really now… A pinstripe…?" I sighed, grabbing his hat and pulling it off. "We're not going to the president's birthday party or anything…" I ruffled his well-combed hair so it was back to its normal state.

"I'm just trying to look nice…" He said innocently. I sighed, shaking my head.

"Cody… You don't have to try so hard… I mean, I'm not wearing much…"

"Speak for yourself. You're wearing a pretty expensive-looking dress there…" He pointed out. I looked down at my long, black dress. "And makeup too,"

"Yeah, but I'm not wearing a thousand dollar suit, either," I brushed a hand against his cheek. "I know you're trying to look nice, but… You don't have to look that nice…"

"Fine…" He sighed. "I'll be right back…" He went back into the bathroom to change. I wait for a moment before he came back out. "I don't care what you say; I'm wearing this one," This time, he was wearing a nice-looking tuxedo. I sighed.

"How much do your parents spend on you anyways…?"

"Well… We have a lot of money…" He said, looking down slightly. Not wanting to be rude, I changed the subject.

"So, where did you want to go?"

"Wherever you want," I sighed.

"Why do guys always make me pick…?" I laughed slightly. "Well, if you really want to know, there's this restaurant I've always wanted to go to… But it's ridiculously expensive…"

"Money's not an issue here, Gwen," Cody said. "Trust me; my parents are… Well…"

"Loaded? Eep," I covered my mouth, hoping I wasn't being rude. He laughed.

"Yeah, pretty much. They're both big lawyers," He said, explaining himself slightly.

"I don't need to know the details," I said. "Now, you sure you don't want to go anymore? Because I don't mind,""

"No, I insist!"

"Alright then…" I stood. "Anytime you're ready…"

---

I led Gwen into the fancy-looking restaurant, arm around her waist.

Geez.

When she said this place was classy, she meant it. This was the most beautiful building I'd ever seen; I swear, the walls were gold plated. The restaurant has two floors, and by the looks of it, an outside area.

The area I had rented out for us privately.

After giving my name, I walked Gwen to the outside area; I hadn't told her I'd rented out the area for tonight. We sat down.

"Where's everyone else?" Gwen looked around. "This place is always so busy…"

"Well… They didn't have as many reservations as usual… So I asked if I could reserve all these tables," Gwen's jaw dropped.

"You WHAT?"

"I rented the whole outside area, really," I sat back, smiling proudly. Gwen stared at me in disbelief.

"Cody… I…" I put a finger on her mouth.

"Shh… We have this whole place to ourselves, alright? Don't worry about how much it cost, it was nothing," Gwen sighed.

"Well… Alright…" She smiled. "You did that all for me?"

"Of course… I told you, I want to give you the perfect date… Now, order whatever you want; money's no issue for me," Gwen sighed.

"I don't mean to be rude… But why didn't you tell us you had this much money before? And more importantly, why did you bother coming on the show?"

"Well… To answer the first question, I don't tell anyone about my wealth… I want people to like me for me, not my money," I explained. "As to why I went on this show… Well, my parents wanted me to go make friends…" I sighed. "To be honest, I was really, REALLY angry about going," I admitted. "I was planning to get myself voted off first thing… then I saw you…" Gwen smiled.

"Really…?"

"Of course. As soon as I saw you, something inside me convinced me to stay…"

"That's why you came on so strong, right?" I nodded, blushing a bit.

"Yeah… I know, I was annoying back then,"

"No… I was just angry at everyone back then," Gwen assured me.

"I just… Well… I thought I'd go insane without you… And honestly, I nearly did after I got voted off…"

"Cody…" Gwen looked at me sympathetically. I shook my head.

"But please, let's not let my past ruin the night… What's important is that we're together now," I smiled.

"Sounds good…" She leaned across the table and kissed me.

"So… After we eat, how about a movie?" I asked.

"I'd like that…" The waiter came over at that point, and we began to order our food.

---

End of chapter


	10. Date Part 2

This update has been slower than usual, as usual (Wait what?) because of my new Superjail! Crossover. Plus, school's been getting in the way… But here we go!

---

The dinner was absolutely fantastic… Too fantastic, actually…

"You sure you're okay to walk?" Cody joked a bit, slapping my stomach. I cringed.

"Yeah…" I groaned, getting up. I didn't want to admit it in front of Cody, but going on such a fancy date made me nervous; REALLY nervous. So nervous I was cramming anything I could get my hands on into my mouth to keep myself from saying something stupid. Unfortunately, the food was so amazing I stuffed myself beyond belief; my stomach had swelled a bit due to the amount of food. Cody didn't seem to mind, but we had to wait for my stomach to settle down before going to the theatre…

Well, we were off to a great start, right…?

---

We arrived at the theatre a little later than usual, thanks to Gwen's feast. No, I kid… Although I've never seen a girl eat like she did. I could tell she was nervous, but I didn't want to say anything stupid myself… But I was better at keeping quiet. I'm a boy, after all. We're generally better at keeping our mouths shut.

But I didn't tell Gwen that. Please don't. She's got a temper…

But back to reality, here we were, checking out what films were being shown.

"How about… Hey, Texas Chainsaw Massacre is playing," I smirked inwardly as Gwen clutched her mouth as her stomach groaned.

"Ugh… no… It's bad enough I ate half my weight in bread; I do NOT want it coming back up," I laughed.

"Just a joke," I shook my head.

"How about that one?" She pointed. I raised an eyebrow. It was a crudely designed sign; there were sockpuppets glued on to represent characters. It read "Our original film". It seemed the theatre was trying to make its own film…

"Uh… Why don't we see something, you know, good?"

"Come on!" Gwen whined. I sighed. I'd never heard Gwen whine about something before… But why this movie?

"Alright, fine…" I knew there would be no point to arguing. "Want some snacks?"

"Please don't mention food," she said quickly. I chuckled.

"Kidding… Lighten up," She rolled her eyes, but smiled. We purchased tickets (The ticket seller nearly squealed with glee when we told her what movie we were going to see), and went to get them checked.

"Well, look who's here…" A horrifyingly familiar voice cut through the air. Both of us froze up. "Walking already, eh?" I turned, glaring.

"…Heather," I practically spit the name out. Gwen simply glared. Heather, her trademark smirk… Well, I didn't know if it was trademark, but regardless…

"Didn't know you two were dating," her smirk got worse. "And I see you already got her pregnant! That must be a record around here…" My eyes narrowed. Heather knew as well as us that that wasn't the case, but still…

"So, where's… Him…?" Gwen asked snidely, not even saying Trent's name.

"Oh, he's in the bathroom…" She smirked again. "He's such a great guy, too… So strong… So nice… A great kisser… You have no idea how it feels to really be loved by him…" I looked behind her at a peculiar sight.

"…Well it seems you don't either," I smirked a bit, pointing.

"What are you talking about you little… AH!!" She turned to see Trent chatting with a familiar face.

"Is that… LINDSAY!?" She fumed. I chuckled.

"Wow Heather…" I shook my head, a smirk still on my face. "You really are Karma's bitch,"

I grabbed Gwen's hand gently and walked off as Heather screamed things I do not wish to repeat. Gwen and I couldn't help but laugh as we saw a security guard lift her up and head for the exit…

---

While I had to admit I was curious as to why Trent was with Lindsay, I followed Cody to our theatre.

It was empty except for us. Perfect…

"Let's sit up there!" I pointed to the corner in the top row.

"…Yeah, why not?" Cody sighed. He still thought I actually wanted to see this movie… We headed up the stairs and sat down.

"Now, remind me again why you wanted to see this?" Cody asked after we settled in.

"Well…" I smiled, leaning against him. "I didn't…" Cody misinterpreted my words.

"What!? Then why bother spending the money?"

"Cody, Cody…" I was surprised that I had to think of this idea. "Nobody else wants to see this… We're alone in a big, dark movie theatre…"

Cody's eyes widened as a blush crept onto his face.

"Oh… Uh… Heh…" His familiar grin appeared. "I should've realized…"

"Yeah, you should've," I sighed.

"But wait… Aren't you a little worried someone might come in here later?" He asked. "What about Trent? What if he and Lindsay are…?"

"Cody…" I sighed. "Let's not worry about that now…" I had to admit, we were almost acting like each other at this point. "Loosen up," The dark, lonely theatre was already affecting my thinking, as I got out of my chair and climbed onto Cody's kneeling on his legs with my hands resting on his shoulders. He grinned.

"And I was worried about moving too fast…" He said, his arms going around my lower waist. I didn't mind at this point. He pulled me in, locking lips. Feeling lazy from my huge dinner, I decided to let him to do the work first. For a few minutes, we simply sat in silence, only responding to the warm feeling of our bodies cuddling and our lips kissing. Finally, Cody's lips parted as he moved his mouth around my face a bit, stringing kisses to my cheeks, my forehead… I nuzzled him as he did this, and began to rub his shoulders. He became more excited by this, and I felt his hands began to rub my hips. I made a soft sound, enjoying the feeling. However, a sliver of rational thought told me not to let him go any more south. But Cody restrained himself, rather moving his hands up and massaging my back. I made a slightly louder noise, muffling myself by bringing my lips back to his. Taking my now parted lips as an invitation, I felt something foreign; his tongue. My lips curled slightly into a smile as the object did laps around my mouth, exploring every corner. I let mine run free as well, sliding across his and into his own mouth, enjoying the taste of his mouth every second. My hands crept up to the sides of his face, grabbing them as my eyebrows furrowed more. Our eyes were shut at this point. I was beginning to lose control as I let him get more and more physical with his kisses; he seemed to be lost in the mood as well. His hands moved more freely around my body; nowhere too offending, but more than just my back. I felt a bead of sweat roll down my face, but still got more and more serious.

I finally crossed the line when I let out a loud moan.

Cody stopped instantly. Both our eyes were wide.

I moved, no, sprang off him.

"Cody, I…" I was blushing furiously, more from shame than embarrassment. He was too.

"No… It's not your fault, Gwen…" There was a long, awkward silence. I was beginning to realize just what could've happened if we didn't stop.

I collapsed in my chair, hands on my head.

"Hey..." Cody rested an arm on my shoulder. "Let's just calm down, alright?"

"Cody… I don't know what came over me, I…" I felt… Dirty.

"Gwen, it's alright…" He sighed. "I guess… I guess we're just not ready to go that far yet…"

"I guess…" I sighed as well. "I just…" I didn't know what to say.

"Look… Maybe we're spending a little too much time together… Why don't you take tomorrow off? I am walking again, after all…" I was going to protest, but realized he was right.

"Yeah… Maybe we do need a small break,"

"Hey, it's only for a day," He smiled warmly. "Now come on, I'll walk you home…" He helped me up. We headed for the exit, the horrid movie playing as we left.

---

Now that scene with Heather and Trent and all will play more significance later… Don't worry, they'll be back.


	11. The Insanity of Solitude

There will be roughly 3 more chapters or so, depending on how I'm feeling… But where one story ends, another begins! Not only do I have my Superjail! Crossover, but be sure to look out for Total Jurassic Island!

---

I woke up slowly, feeling lazy. My eyes slowly opened to obnoxious sun rays hitting my eyes. Growling a bit, I leaned up. Then I realized what today was; Gwen wasn't coming by today.

Great…

I got up, shutting the window angrily. Sighing, I went back into my bed. We did decide it would be best if we spent a little time away from each other… But I was already regretting the decision. I pulled the covers over myself. This was going to be a slow day, I could already tell…

---

My eyes looked at the clock. Pretty early… But I didn't have anywhere to be today… Sighing, I turned over, finally getting to sleep in for once. I smiled, enjoying the warm feeling of my black silk pajamas and sleeping cap against me.

Next to me was a human-sized teddy bear.

Of course, normally I never slept with a stuffed animal… But last night, I had trouble sleeping. So I found this old thing…

Getting to sleep was much easier when you imagine your lover snuggling you.

It was embarrassing, but I was pretending this big, warm teddy bear next to me was really Cody… Even though nobody was around, I blushed when I thought about it.

Cody… I wouldn't be seeing him today…

Cody and I did agree to spend some time to ourselves… And it was honestly probably for the best.

My blush deepened as last night's events crept back into my mind.

I felt so ashamed after that… But right now…

I had never felt so alive…

I mean, Cody knew how to give massages… And his tongue was so… So… Oh God, hearing myself make that noise felt so good, I…

NO.

Oh my God, why was I thinking like that…? If that had gone any farther… I shuddered a bit at the thought.

"What do you think?" I asked my bear. "Did we go too far last night?"

The two black buttons stared back at me, not answering.

"Yeah… I thought so…" I sighed, snuggling it a bit as I shut my eyes again.

---

I typed furiously on my computer, trying to find ANYTHING to get my mind off Gwen. Video games, forums, videos… Nothing was helping…! No matter what, I couldn't stop thinking about her. Yeah, I know, trying to forget about my girlfriend? It doesn't make sense, does it? Well, I'm not just thinking about her in a sweet way…

If only you knew what last night did to my head…

I mean, I thought I loved Gwen before… But holy crap, I've never thought about her like this… I was having the sickest thoughts ever…

Something about that noise she made last night changed me. And I didn't like it.

I banged my head against my keyboard, trying to get some of the disgusting thoughts that were in my head out. Why, why WHY?

I looked over at the end of my desk, reaching for the object I eyed.

I sighed, staring at the photo.

It was an old picture I took of Gwen on Total Drama Island… She was kind enough to at least let me keep a picture of her after I tried to help her get with Trent… In her bikini, no less. I grinned, staring at the picture.

What was wrong with me…?

I lifted the picture closer to my face, staring, unblinking.

"Gwen… I love you so much… But is there really such a thing as too much love…?"

Because if there was, it was definitely what I was going through.

My point was proven when I brought the picture to my lips, kissing it much more than gently.

…Was it medically possible to be addicted to a person?

---

I looked at my clock on my cell phone. It was nearly noon. I sighed slightly as I wandered through the mall food court. The day wasn't even half over and I was already missing Cody…

Get it together Gwen! It's one day!

It I can't keep mentally stable because I can't see someone for 24 hours, there's something wrong with me. I found a Subway with no line. Perfect. I got some food, and found an empty table close by.

I wonder what Cody's up to right now…

I hope he wasn't taking this as hard as I was… Hell, for all I know, he might be taking this harder… I mean, he loved me……

My thoughts remained quiet.

Come on… Of course I loved Cody… Right…?

No answer.

I sighed loudly, my hands on my head. Great. Now I couldn't even say I loved Cody TO MYSELF. I swear, being alone like this was going to drive me crazy…

Thank God an old friend stepped in.

"Gwen!?" A surprised voice called out. I looked up, my thoughts interrupted by the familiar voice. I blinked a few times.

"…Lindsay?"

---

I set down the picture, no, THREW it down, breathing hard. I stood, panting.

What was WRONG with me!?

I walked to the wall, banging my head against it constantly. I was going insane being alone in here. Give me a straightjacket and some white, cushiony walls, and I'd be all set.

There was a knock.

"Visitor," The doctor's voice came. My face turned to a huge grin, and I sped to the door and swung it open, ready to tackle Gwen.

My smile dropped when I opened the door.

I would've preferred to have been alone.

"Hey, Cody…" My eyes narrowed.

"…Trent…"

---

Thanks for reading! Until next time!


	12. Talks

I want to get these updates out as fast as possible, since I've had this story in "in progress" status for far too long…

---

I said nothing else, and slammed the door. Trent caught it before it closed, and poked his head in. I growled.

"Go away," I said angrily. He sighed.

"Look, I'm not here for revenge or anything…" I rolled my eyes.

"I don't care what you're here for; I didn't ask for you here, and I don't want you here. Out,"

"Can't we just talk for a minute?"

"I think you should be talking to Gwen first," I said with venom. "After all, she's the one with the heart you shattered," He shut his eyes for a moment, sighing deeply.

"I know what I did," He said, a bit annoyed. "And I wanted to see how she was doing,"

I laughed for a good while, amused with his lame excuse. He glared.

"Cody, I…" I stopped laughing for a moment, but I was determined to make him regret what he did. "Good, now…"

"Oh wait, you were being serious? In that case, let me laugh even harder!" I continued laughing.

"I…" He growled. "SHUT UP," I stopped, but not because of his yelling.

"Forgive me for not believing you; where I'm from, guys don't just go talking to the girls they cheated on for weeks," He placed a hand on his forehead.

"I know, but please… Can you at least give me a chance to talk?"

"I told you, Gwen's the one you should be talking to," I said, still bitter. "But she's taking the day off today. I have no idea where she is,"

"Oh…" Deciding to at least humor him, I motioned for him to sit down on my bed. "So is it true you guys are really… You know, dating?"

"As of a few minutes after you left last time, yes," I said, sitting on my computer chair.

"Ah…" He looked towards the window, sighing. I decided to take the chance to ask.

"Why, Trent…?" He looked at me.

"Why what…?" I stared at him hard. He looked down, and sighed.

"I… Where to begin… Lot of stuff…"

"Hey, I got time," I motioned for him to keep going.

"Alright… Look, I never wanted to hurt Gwen, let me get that out first…" He seemed to be expecting me to interrupt, as he paused. I remained silent. He blinked. "Uh… Anyways, Gwen's a really… Really… Unique… Girl, and I liked that at first… Seeing someone who was actually smart and not socially awkward at the same time…"

"Why do you keep stopping?" I asked as he paused again. "I'm not going to interrupt…" I gave a fake smile.

"Right… Anyways, maybe I just found the others insane on that island… I don't know. But Gwen was different… That interested me at first," He sighed. "But after the show… Well, how do I say this… I… I…"

"Lost interest in her?" I said, trying to be as polite as possible.

"…Yeah…" He said, looking ashamed.

"So are girls just a toy to you? You just play with one until you get bored and get a new one? Was that all Gwen was to you?" My anger was starting show again, my eyes twitching very slightly. Trent took a breath, pausing for a third time.

"That's a little mean way to put it…" He said quietly.

"So it's true?"

"No, no… Well, sorta… I… Ah!" He clutched his head with both hands for a minute. "Alright, fine. Yes. That's how I felt with Gwen. Happy?" He was getting annoyed as well.

"Very," I said calmly. I folded my hands. "I suppose you are just that kind of guy…" Playing this good cop-bad cop game was getting quite a bit of info out of him… He let me continue, it seemed. "Now, why didn't you just break up with Gwen…? You could think of a good reason. You say she's a good person, why not just tell her you're better off being friends?"

"Well… I didn't want to hurt her, like I said… I knew she would never take it well, no matter what I did,"

"So at this point, you were only in the relationship because you felt you had to?" I asked rather quickly.

"…" He was silent. "Look, that's not it, alright? I like hanging around Gwen. Just… Not romantically,"

"Then why didn't you just break up with her?"

"…I don't know…"

"And what made you cheat on her?" I asked suddenly, eyes widening as I asked it. He could see the slight anger building up in me again, so he paused to try to choose his words carefully.

"Well… A few weeks ago, I met Heather again…" He began. He flinched slightly, seeing the hate in my eyes when he mentioned her. "…Sorry…"

"No… No… Please, continue," I tried to control myself a bit longer.

"Well… I told you, I was getting…" He hesitated to say it. "…Bored of Gwen…" He covered his ears, as if expecting me to explode.

"Calm down…" I gave another cheap smile. "I'm not a bomb, Trent," He seemed puzzled by my level headedness, but went along with his explanation.

"Well… Heather, it turns out, didn't just kiss me to make Gwen miserable… She really liked me,"

"And I assume now you're going to say she wooed you into falling for her?" I raised an eyebrow.

"……..Yeah…" He stopped, staring at my blank face. He suddenly glared. "Well what was I supposed to do? I was in a moment of weakness; I didn't know what I was thinking!"

"I don't think it would take THREE DAMN WEEKS to come to your freaking senses!" I yelled suddenly, glaring. He jumped a bit, surprised at my outburst. "Do you even know how much you hurt Gwen when she saw you two!?"

"Yes, I do!" My hateful stare got worse.

"…Really now…?" He realized what he said. "So, you know how it feels to have your heart run over by an 18 wheeler? YOU know how it feels to see someone who makes you happier than life itself toss you aside like an old stuffed animal? REALLY NOW!?"

"…N-no…" He shrunk back. I took a breath, my eyes closed for a moment.

"That's better…" I spoke as calmly as I could now, which was not very convincing. My voice was still shaky somewhat.

"I was seriously planning on breaking up with Gwen normally though…" He suddenly said. "You gotta believe me, Cody… I didn't want Gwen to find out the way she did, honest…" I nodded. Honestly, I believed him. Aside from cheating on Gwen, he had never lied before; to us, at least. Maybe he was being sincere about this talk…

But I wasn't fully trusting yet.

"So, where is that little sleazebag girlfriend of yours?" I growled suddenly. Crap.

"Don't know, don't care," I was shocked at his response. "What? After you got that lucky hit on me, I…" I smirked.

"Lucky hit?" He couldn't help but smile.

"Duh. You really think you can take me on in a fair fight?"

"You're just mad a cripple got you,"

To both our surprises, we laughed for a good while.

"Alright, alright… Fine, you got me. Anyways… Your words really did affect me, man…" My eyes widened a bit. "Like I said, Heather tricked me into liking her… So I decided to get back at her," I thought for a little as he spoke.

"Is that why you were with Lindsay last night.

"Oh… You saw that?" He blushed a bit.

"Don't tell me you two are…"

"Oh yeah… We are…"

---

"You're dating Trent!?" I yelled in surprise, standing up.

"Yeah!" Lindsay smiled innocently. I was more confused than angry.

"But what about Tyler?"

"Oh, him? We broke up months ago… It just wasn't working out…"

I was surprised she actually remembered him.

"But a few days ago I found Trent… We talked, caught up on old times… And well…" I blinked a few times, taking the information in.

"What about Heather?"

"Oh, she saw us last night… Boy she was mad…" She giggled. "Trent said it was over or something…" She gasped. "Were they dating before…?"

Good ole' ignorant Lindsay… I knew she in there somewhere…

"Yeah… After Trent broke up with me…" I lied. I didn't want to tell her about what had happened; as much as it would hurt Trent, I didn't want to hurt Lindsay. Trent had broken up with Heather… Maybe he had changed…

But it was too late if he wanted me back. I was Cody's now.

"But enough about me…" Lindsay, to my surprise, said. "What about you? How's Cody?" I guess Lindsay was no idiot when it came to romance… Although I was amazed she remembered all of our names.

But I sighed.

"Well… Last night…" I sighed. "We were at the movies, and…" I paused, collecting myself. "Well, we started making out… But we went too far," Lindsay's eyes widened.

"Oh my God, are you pregnant!?"

"Shh…!" I looked around. "No!"

"Sorry…"

"But to be honest, it may have gone that far if we didn't stop…" I admitted. "I mean, I really like Cody… I really do… A lot… But I'm worried we're moving too fast…" Lindsay face changed to a serious one.

"Gwen…" She sighed. "Believe me, you're not,"

"You weren't there… You don't know what it was like," I sighed. "Lindsay, we haven't even been dating for a week yet… And we nearly…"

"Gwen, I'm not a genius, but I've been with a lot of guys… So trust me on this," Lindsay, I must admit, had gotten smarter over the months. "I know you think there's some type of time rule for relationships… Most people who don't date a lot do… No offense,"

"None taken," I was used to it at this point.

"Gwen… You've known Cody for awhile, right? I mean, you've spent time with him before, you know how he is and what he likes… So it's not like you need to get to know him or anything…" She wasn't making much sense to me.

"This doesn't seem relevant…"

"Alright, let me get to the point… Gwen, there's no such thing as moving too fast as long as you truly love him,"

My eyes widened when she said this.

"…Gwen…?" I didn't answer. I let those words seep into my brain for a moment.

By God she was right…

---

"And after telling her that, she stormed off. I haven't seen her since," Trent finished explaining what had happened with Heather. My jaw was hanging open.

"That's… Quite a story," I managed to say. He smiled a bit.

"Thanks, I guess," There was an awkward silence.

"So…" I said, breaking the quiet. "Was there anything else you wanted?"

"Oh, if you wanted me to leave…" He said, standing.

"No, no…" He stopped. "I guess I'm just a bit… Shocked you really did that…"

"I told you, I realized what I did was wrong…" I stood. "Look, I know she probably still hates my guts, but can you tell Gwen… I'm sorry?"

I paused.

"Look, if you don't want to…"

"No, no…" I stopped. "You know, 5 minutes ago, I would've told you to take that apology and shove it up your ass… But now…" I smiled slightly. "I can tell you really mean it, Trent… You're all right…" He smiled.

"Thanks, man!" He high fived me, much to my surprise. "Hope you get better!"

"Yeah, thanks… Sorry to be rude, but I've got a phone call to make…" He smirked.

"I'll leave you two alone…" With that, he left.

I shook my head, smiling.

God damn, it was impossible to stay mad at that guy… I looked at my cell phone, and sighed.

"I don't care how desperate I seem… I need to see you again…"

I jumped when my phone began ringing. I looked at the ID, and answered.

"…Gwen…?"

---

Alright, a bit of a slow chapter. I hope I didn't bore anyone!


	13. Christmas Time

Time for yet another chapter!

---

I felt overjoyed when Cody picked up the phone.

"…Gwen?" He asked somewhat reluctantly.

"Hey, Cody..." I greeted.

"What is it?"

"Well…" I wandered into Hot Topic, looking around. "You know Christmas is tomorrow, right?"

"Of course… I already got you something,"

My eyes widened.

"You… You did?"

"Well, not me… But I told my parents to pick up something I wanted to get you… Why?"

"Oh, well, uh…" I sighed. "I was just wondering… Did you want anything?"

"Well… I got top-of the line electronics, every little knickknack, toy, and game I ever wanted… Really, you were the only thing I wanted for Christmas…" I blushed.

"Aaw… You…" I heard him laugh a bit. "Cody Bear…"

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that…" He laughed. "But… You know, just get me anything… Some clothes would be fine, really!" I grinned to myself.

Perfect.

"Well… What did you plan on doing for Christmas?" I found myself asking.

"Well, I'm going home tonight to spend the night with my family… then Christmas morning too. But after that, I'm coming back to the hospital… We can celebrate our own little Christmas there,"

"That sounds nice… What time, exactly?"

"Around noon, perhaps?"

"That'll work for me!"

"Great. See you then...?" He asked.

"Yeah… Bye…" I sighed, hanging up, sighing. I'd tell him tomorrow…

For now, I began looking through the many goth clothes in the store. I knew exactly what I was going to get Cody…

---

I set the phone down, smiling to myself. I'm sure you're all wondering why I didn't tell Gwen about Trent… Or maybe you were thinking the same thing I was.

It'd be best to tell her in person, I figured. Especially on Christmas.

There was a knock.

A bit startled, I quickly answered the door.

The doctor was holding Gwen's present for me.

"Your parents wanted me to bring you this…" He said.

"Thanks," I took the large box from him. There was also some wrapping paper, scissors, and tape. "So it's alright if she comes by here on Chrsitmas?"

"Of course," he nodded. "Is that it?"

"Yeah, thanks," With that, he left.

I grabbed the box and supplies, and began the wrapping process.

I couldn't wait to see Gwen's face once she saw the Alienware computer I got her.

---

I began the short walk to my house from the mall, a few bags of cloths in my hands. I was humming to myself, looking forward to Christmas tomorrow, and, more importantly, spending the day with Cody.

So imagine my surprise when I bumped into Trent.

Instantly, my mind was filled with rage.

"G-Gwen…!" I moved past him, practically jogging. I didn't want anything to do with him anymore.

Of course, he followed.

"Gwen, please! I need to talk to you…" My hands balled into fists.

"What makes you think I'd have anything to say to YOU!?" I yelled, turning quickly. He flinched a bit.

"Didn't Cody talk to you?" He asked. I raised an eyebrow.

"What the hell are you talking about? Yeah, we've talked. What does that matter?"

"No, no…" I didn't know why I was bothering to listen to him… But something was making me stay put. "I talked to him a little earlier," He started.

"I swear to God, if you hurt him in any way…" I advanced on him. He held his hands up, eyes wide.

"No, I didn't!" I couldn't help but be amused at how afraid he was of me; it was pathetic, really… "I told him to tell you some things…"

Psh. Sure.

But wait… My mind drifted back to what Lindsay had said earlier about Trent. How he had broken up with Heather almost instantly after we saw him…

Maybe I should at least hear what he had to say…

"…What kind of things…?" I said, now walking next to him. For winter, it was pretty warm out, so I was in no hurry to get home.

"Well…" With that, he began a very long explanation. (AN: I don't feel like boring you… This is basically the same conversation Trent had with Cody earlier.)

---

"…And that's what I wanted Cody to tell you… I know it's kind of weak, but… I'm sorry…" He said, finishing his rather emotional story.

I was rather surprised, to say the least. Trent had more of a heart than I thought.

"I guess I can't really ask why you didn't just break up with me… I don't know how guys think," I said, smiling a bit. "Were you just afraid of me getting mad?"

"No!" He said quickly. I looked at him, smirking. "…Alright, yes…"

I sighed.

"Trent… I'll be honest; I would have gotten upset… But not nearly as much as when I saw you and Heather…" He looked down.

"I know… I was just confused… but that's no excuse for what I did,"

"No, it's not," I frowned. His face saddened. I sighed once more. "But look… As angry as I was, and still am, at you… I'll admit, it took a lot of guts to face me after what you did…" He couldn't help but smile.

"I just didn't want you hating me for the rest of your life…" I rolled my eyes.

"That was really corny," We both laughed for a moment. I looked at him. "Why can't I stay angry at you…?"

"Because of my charming personality?" I giggled.

"I guess…" I saw my house in the distance. "Well, here's my stop…" I turned around.

"Look… You probably don't really trust me anymore, but… You're a great girl, Gwen… I just don't like you like that…"

"I feel the same way about you at this point…" I admitted.

"…Friends…?" He held his hand out. I hesitated for a second, but smiled.

"Friends," I shook his hand. With that said, he walked off.

I walked up my driveway, happy that I finally cleared the air with Trent…

---

I arrived back at the hospital at about 11:30. Christmas had been rather hectic this year, but I managed to survive. I got quite a few gifts, like sketch books and other art things… The usual, I guess. I hate to sound ungrateful, but there was something else I really wanted this year… Not that my mom would've ever bought it…

I headed up to Cody's room, where there was a wreath was hanging on the door with a photo of me and Cody in the middle. Blushing, I knocked on the door.

"…Cody Bear…?" I giggled a bit, still finding the name a little silly.

The door opened, where Cody was standing in a Santa outfit.

"Merry Christmas, Gwen!" He grinned. I giggled at his adorable outfit.

"Oh Cody…" I walked in, looking around. "Wow…"

The room was decorated quite well. There was a tree in the corner covered in all sorts of ornaments. There all sorts of Christmasy things lining the room as well…

I noticed the large box under the tree.

"What's that?" I pointed, setting my own wrapped up box down.

"Oh this?" He pointed at it. "This is your present,"

"It's huge…!" I gasped.

"So?" He shrugged. "I got you something you wanted,"

I looked at my gift for him, a bit ashamed.

"Why don't we open them now?" I asked. He nodded.

We sat down, on the floor. He pulled my gift out and gave it to me. Curious as to what it was, I tore the paper apart quickly.

I screamed.

"OH MY GOD!!" My mouth and eyes were wide when I saw the Alienware in front of me. "You got me a computer…!?"

"Of course… Oh, there's something else…" I look on top of the computer's box.

A copy of Team Fortress 2.

I practically tackled Cody.

"Oh my God Cody… Thank you! Thank you!" I squealed. I'll admit, I was becoming a videogame geek… Slowly, but surely.

"Crushing… Hug…" He gasped out.

"…Sorry…" I said, blushing as I released him. I grabbed my present, sighing.

"This is for you… It's not as good as what you got me, but…"

"Nonsense!" He took it, unwrapping it. "I told you, I have everything I need…" His face suddenly lit up when he saw the "Hot Topic" on the unwrapped box. "…Except for this!" He threw off the lid.

"Well…?" He beamed, holding up a pair of baggy, black jeans with chains on them.

"How did you know?" His smile widened when he pulled the black shirt with a large skull on it with glowing red eyes on it.

"Oh, I just had a feeling…" I smiled. He smiled again when he pulled out the large boots and spiked bracelet. "You're gonna look so hot in all of that…" He blushed, surprised I used "Hot" instead of "Cute", no doubt.

"Well… Now we have a little bit of each other… You've got video games and I've got goth stuff…" He laughed a bit.

"But now I feel bad… You got me this huge, expensive thing… All I got was clothes,"

"Gwen…" Cody sighed, looking at me. "I don't care what you get me… I don't want anything expensive… Just something I like," He picked his new clothes up. "And I REALLY like this…" He smiled.

"I guess…" I sighed. "I still feel a little cheap…"

There was a knock.

Our little money argument interrupted, Cody stood to open the door.

Trent and Lindsay were at the door.

"Oh, hey guys," Cody greeted. "Merry Christmas!"

"Nice outfit," Trent knuckle pounded his old friend. He waved at me.

"What are you two doing here…?" Cody asked.

"Well, we were on our way to a Christmas party… You guys wanna come along?"

"Really?" Cody asked, surprised. "Um… I guess. Gwen?" A bit surprised by the invite, I blinked.

"Um… Well, we didn't have anything else planned… So yeah,"

"Let me just get changed first…" Cody said.

"We'll be outside," Trent smiled. Cody then shut the door.

"You're not seriously wearing those to the party, are you?" I pointed at the clothes I got him.

"Of course!" He grinned widely, walking into the bathroom. I shook my head, smiling.

"Well, it's better than a pinstripe…"

---

Trent and Lindsay headed to Trent's car, giggling to themselves like children.

"So, you sure they don't know about the surprise?"

"Definitely,"

---

Gasp! What kind of surprise is it? Good? Bad? Find out on the next, and final chapter of I Do Care!


	14. The Party

The final chapter! Whoo!

---

Trent's eyes widened when he saw us leaving the hospital.

"…Cody…!?"

"Yeah?" I grinned, pretending not to notice that I had new clothes on. Trent blinked.

"What are you wearing…?"

"Oh, this?" I grinned wider. "It's my Christmas present!" Trent looked at Gwen, and shook his head.

"You two really are good for each other…" We all laughed as the two of us got into the back of his car. We buckled up, my arm around Gwen, and drove off.

---

The ride wasn't very long; not even 10 minutes, really. So we didn't speak much. Gwen had rested her head on mine, closing her eyes. Much to our embarrassment, Lindsay took a picture of it… But in the end she gave the photo to us.

We got out of the car, walking into the large, dark, building. It was some type of country club, obviously being used for a big Christmas party.

We walked into the main room, where all the lights were off.

"What's going on?" Gwen asked. "I thought this was a party…"

The doors shut.

What was going on…?

There was silence. Alright, now I was getting suspicious…

"Trent? Lindsay? What's happening?" I heard some movement and muffled laughs.

"Cody…?" Gwen grabbed me, a little frightened.

The lights turned on.

"SURPRISE!!" A chorus of greetings yelled. Gwen and I both gasped at the sight before us.

Everyone from Total Drama Island, minus Chris and Chef, and Heather, were in front of us.

"What's going on?" I asked again, both ecstatic and surprised to see my old friends.

"Well… Word got around about what happened…" Trent said. "It was on the news. So, a few of us got everyone here together and well…"

"Wow… I don't know what to say…"

"Don't say anything! Let's just enjoy ourselves!" Gwen laughed. I smiled, and walked off to catch up with some of the guys. Gwen did the same.

---

"Dude, Cody!" Geoff, a lampshade on his head for some reason, pulled me over. Ah, Geoff… you could never be mad at this guy.

"Geoff, buddy… How've you been?" I high fived him.

"Awesome, man! How cool is this party!" Good ole' Geoff…

"Hey, where's Bridgette?" I asked, a bit surprised they weren't making out.

"She's talking with some of the girls… Hey, come on dude! Everyone wants to know what happened!"

"What do you… Woah!" I was dragged off by Geoff to a group of familiar faces.

"Cody!" I was overcome by a warm, soft feeling as Owen picked me up into one of his world-famous guy hugs.

"Uh… Nice to see you too Owen…" I grinned, recovering myself as he put me down. Owen was a cool guy, but sometimes I felt he liked guys a little TOO much… Still, great to see him again.

"There he is!" I felt a little pain in my back as someone patted me rather roughly. I could already tell who it was.

"Duncan," I waved, seeing the convict behind me.

"Man, and I used to think you were a wimp… Bullet in the spine, not bad…" He smiled half-heartedly, which meant a lot for him.

But wait…

"They let you out of juvie to go to a party?" I asked. His smile dropped, and he growled as Geoff and Owen snickered behind me.

"Not exactly…" He held his arm up, where a strange bracelet-like device was on it. "If I try to leave the building, this thing shocks me," The other two burst out laughing. "Yeah yeah…" He shook his head, but smile slightly again. "Nice duds, by the way…"

"Oh… Heh, yeah…" He looked over at Gwen.

"And I see you finally won her," He pointed out.

"And all it took was a near-fatal wound…" We both laughed. Duncan, while I wouldn't consider a real friend, was still a funny guy to be around… But sometimes he could be scary.

I just hoped his girlfriend wasn't around…

"There you are!" I cringed. Too late… Courtney came up behind Duncan, glaring at him. "I told you to wait for me at the snack table!"

"Sorry, babe, but I was just catching up with the war veteran here," He smirked. She rolled her eyes, not seeming to notice me.

"Come on, I want a drink," She said, dragging him off. He simply shrugged at me, a smirk on his face. I sighed, shaking my head.

How did he put up with her?

---

I quickly got dragged into a conversation with Bridgette and Leshawna, who wanted to know everything about what had happened with me, Trent, and Cody.

"Oooh, that two timin'…"

"No, it's fine Leshawna… I told you, he apologized," I shrugged. "Besides, I got someone else…" I said absent mindedly, watching Cody. I saw Duncan getting dragged off by Courtney, and blinked. "Are they still dating?"

"Sadly, yes," Bridgette shook her head. "What does he see in her…?"

"Who knows…" I looked to see Izzy and Beth nearby. "Hey, I'm gonna go say hi to those two…"

"Careful, I don't think Beth's gonna like you dating Cody," Leshawna warned. I nodded, walking over to the two.

Izzy was going on about one of her insane stories, to which Beth listened, looking a bit frightened at points.

"Hey guys," I greeted, smiling. Granted, I didn't really like them, but… They were still nice.

"Oh hey Gwen! I was just telling Beth about the time I got stranded in the Rockies," She giggled to herself. "Wanna hear about it,"

"Uh… No thank you…" I said as politely as I could.

"Suit yourself," Beth remained silent, looking at me somewhat angrily.

"Hey Beth…"I smiled weakly. She simply stuck her tongue out at me, and walked off.

"What's her problem?" Izzy asked.

"Cody,"

"Oh my God that's right!" Izzy shouted. "You guys are dating now!"

"Yeah, we…"

"I remember my first boyfriend. Or, well, it was a dog. A coyote, actually. But he was a good kisser and…"

"Izzy, please… Not now…" I said, backing away a bit. "So how's Owen…?" I wanted to change the subject.

"Oh him?" She frowned. "Well… It didn't really work out…" She said rather seriously.

"Really?" I was kind of surprised.

"Owen didn't seem that interested in me after awhile…"

"Can't imagine why…?" I thought back to the island… Owen seemed rather, um, noticing of Justin…

Good God.

"Oh but don't worry! I got someone else!"

"Who did you…" My eyes widened when I saw Noah appear behind Izzy, hugging her.

No. Way.

"…Noah…? Is that you…?"

"No, I'm really Spider-Man in disguise," He rolled his eyes.

"Nice to see you too…" I opened my mouth to ask why Noah and Izzy were dating, but I stopped myself.

Did I REALLY want to know?

"I was on a sugar rush and asked her out," Noah practically read my mind. "Turned out she was cooler than I thought… I decided to stick with it,"

"How did you…"

"Do you know how many people have asked that?"

"Oh…"

"Well, if you'll excuse us, we've got a dance floor to go to," With that, he and Izzy walked off.

What the hell…?

---

After getting reacquainted with some of the others, I walked off to find Gwen. I saw her the punch bowl, eyes a bit wide.

"Gwen…?" She shook herself.

"Oh… Hey…"

"What's wrong?"

"I'm just getting over the fact that Noah and Izzy are going out,"

My jaw practically hit the floor.

"What?"

"I know, I'm confused too…" I processed that seemingly impossible information.

"Um… Wow…" I blinked.

"Yeah," Deciding to change the subject, I grabbed her hand.

"Want to dance…?" I asked. She lit up.

"Yeah…" She said happily, as we moved to the dance floor. Currently, the music was being switched, so there was no music playing.

Then the song started.

"Oh my… I love this song!" Gwen said, glowing. I looked at her.

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"I thought I was the only one…" Gwen looked at me.

"YOU like Paramore?"

"Of course! It's the greatest damn band around!" Hallelujah by the previously mentioned band was playing as we spoke. I put my hands on her hips, inviting her to dance. She smiled warmly, putting her arms around my shoulders. As the song continued, we simply swayed from side to side, staring at each other lovingly.

The lyrics really affected me.

"You know… This song really makes me think of us…" I said quietly.

"…Me too…"

"You know what…?" I knew what I was about to say would be corny and cliché, but did it anyways. "This should be our song…"

"I figured you'd say that… Most guys do…"

"But I'm serious!" I assured her. "This song just reminds me of you and me so much…" Gwen leaned her head against me.

"Alright… This is our song now…" We continued to dance in silence. After awhile, Gwen looked at me. "You know, I agree with the singer… I really do want this to last forever…" She kissed me gently. I smiled warmly, holding her closer as we danced. I kissed her forehead.

"I love you Gwen…" She sighed happily.

"I know… And I love you too, Cody…"

The words sank in slowly. Gwen seemed to know it would take me a moment to process this, as she was silent.

The most perfect, smartest, funniest, most beautiful girl in history…

And she loved me.

"……Gwen….." I whispered lovingly.

"Cody….."

We kissed once more, all other senses drowned out by nothing but sheer love.

Her words echoed in my mind.

_I love you too…_

Truly, this was the greatest Christmas ever.

---

IT'S OVER!! Thanks for reading everyone! Don't worry, I'll have a new story out soon enough!


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